BEAUMONT, Mississippi (WDAM) – Things got pretty heated at Tuesday’s Beaumont City Council meeting.

After weeks of rumors and speculation, the board addressed so-called “personnel issues” within the police department.

Several community members wondered if this meant the dissolution of the department.

Some were in favor of reducing staff, others were concerned about crime and what might happen if the department were closed.

Michelle Mair, manager at Greer’s in Beaumont, said the police presence was absolutely necessary.

“We have a problem, they are there,” said Mair. “We don’t have many problems because they fill up there. When the police are at the pumps, they don’t show up. That will change if we don’t have them here all the time.”

Ultimately, the board voted to fire three officers, leaving only Police Chief Jeremy McSwain and another part-time officer in office.

McSwain said the decision will put an even greater burden on him as they try to move forward.

“We were already understaffed, but we did our best to keep the city of Beaumont safe and keep the people of Beaumont happy,” McSwain said.

The board did not give an exact reason for the terminations, as board attorney David Walley announced.

Want more WDAM 7 news delivered to your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

All rights reserved.